2009 Canada West men’s soccer awards and all-stars announced

by Canada West Communications Office

EDMONTON - Canada West announces the 2009-10 men's soccer Awards and All-Stars, as selected by head coaches conference-wide.

Canada West men's soccer Player of the Year, Trinity Western Spartans defender Paul Hamilton, is the captain and anchor for the Spartans.

The third-year Calgary native has the ability to beat his opponent in the air or on the ground. His talent to break up the opponent's offence and de-possess have made TWU's defence into one of the stingiest in Canada West. On offence Hamilton has the ability to see the weakness in the opponent's midfield and back line and be able to make the pass that quickly moves his teammates into an optimal scoring position, giving TWU the top scoring team in Canada West.

"Paul is the keystone to our backline. He is the emotional and physical leader of our team. He is our best tackler and is respected for his ability to win challenges both on the ground and in the air. Paul also attracts the opponent's best defenders for re-starts," said Spartans head coach Pat Rohla.

"Paul is consistent, reliable, and able to lead a line of defence like few other players I have seen at the CIS level. He continually makes our backline better. I believe that Paul continues to be one of the premier centre backs in the nation, as he was selected as a CIS First Team All-Canadian last year."

UBC Thunderbirds star William Hyde has been named Canada West men's soccer Rookie of the Year.

A standout with the Whitecaps Residency program before joining UBC, Hyde continued his stellar play on the pitch during his first year of CIS action. A fleet-footed left back for the formidable T-Birds back-line, Hyde was a major addition to a squad that conceded just seven goals in 14 regular season games. Despite missing four games this season, Hyde started nine of the 10 matches in which he dressed. His delivery of long balls combined with his great closing speed and smart tackling made him one of the top defenders in the league this season.

"Will has had a strong first year with us. He has established himself as a starting player in a very strong and experienced defence," said T-Birds head coach Mike Mosher. "He is a very intelligent player who is strong in one-on-one defending situations because of his speed. He also offers us a lot in attack with his pace and ability to get forward from the back. I anticipate Will to be a very strong player in Canada West for several years to come."

In his 14th season at the helm of the Thunderbirds program, Coach of the Year Mike Mosher led UBC to the league title with a 10-3-1 record. It is the first time Mosher has been recognized by his peers as the conference coach of the year. After opening the season with a pair of losses on the road, the T-Birds won 10 of their next 11, conceding just one goal in their 10 wins this season. There were a perfect 7-0-0 at home and did not allow a goal at Thunderbird Park. Mosher has led UBC to three CIS titles (1994, 2005, '07) and a pair of Canada West playoff triumphs (1997, 2001).

"Mike's won three national titles for us at UBC and had never been recognized for the outstanding program he has developed," said Bob Philip, UBC's Director of Athletics and Recreation. "He did another great job this year and it's good to see he has gotten the credit he deserves."

Second Team All-Star and three-time Academic All-Canadian Mike O'Brien of the Lethbridge Pronghorns is the winner of the Student-Athlete award.

Now a team captain for the Horns, the Calgary native is the highest-scoring fullback in team history, scoring nine times, including three this year, good for third on the squad.

O'Brien, a Biology major working toward a career in medicine, spent two months volunteering at the General Hospital in Arusha, Tanzania, Africa this summer with the Volunteer Abroad Agency. In addition to his work there, he also spent time at an orphanage. While at these locations, Mike took some soccer supplies and clothes to be given to the children. In addition, Mike volunteers for Operation Red Nose, which is a Designated Driver Service, which runs throughout December. Mike works part time with the disabled throughout the school year.

Making this year's Canada West All-Star roster are 2008 MVP Cole McFarlane of Victoria, 2008 Rookie of the Year, UBC's Devin Gunenc and 2008 CIS All-Canadian Graham Smith of the T-Birds, who was also named CIS Tournament MVP in 2007. McFarlane has now been a CWUAA All-Star five straight years, a very rare accomplishment, while Smith and Paul Hamilton have been All-Stars three times.

Following is a complete list of all 2009 Canada West men's soccer Awards and All-Stars:

Awards
Player of the Year: Paul Hamilton Trinity Western
Rookie of the Year: William Hyde, UBC
Coach of the Year: Mike Mosher, UBC
Student-Athlete Award: Mike O'Brien, Lethbridge
Fair Play Award: Victoria

All-Stars
First Team
Goalkeeper: Nikolai Matni, UBC
Fullback: Paul Hamilton, Trinity Western
Fullback: Graham Smith, UBC
Fullback: Harman Braich, Alberta
Fullback: Fullback: Jason Gill, UBC
Midfielder: Josh Northey, Saskatchewan
Midfielder: Brett Colvin, Alberta
Midfielder: Sam Wingham, Victoria
Midfielder: Tyson Keam, UBC
Striker: Cole McFarlane, Victoria
Striker: Nathan Pogue, Trinity Western

Second Team
Goalkeeper: Dan Kilpatrick, Victoria
Fullback: Bobby Eng, Victoria
Fullback: James Giebelhaus, Fraser Valley
Fullback: Matt Allard, UBC
Fullback: Mike O'Brien, Lethbridge
Midfielder: Devin Gunenc, UBC
Midfielder: Robbie Fadden, Fraser Valley
Midfielder: Joe Long, Calgary
Midfielder: Eoin McFadden, Saskatchewan
Midfielder: Jordan Whitehead, Trinity Western
Striker: Greg Remjin, Lethbridge

Major award winners now become finalists for Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) national awards, to be handed out at the end of the season. The 2009 CIS men's soccer championship goes November 12-15 at Trinity Western University in Langley, B.C. Host Trinity Western and the top team excluding TWU at this weekend's Final Four will advance to Nationals.

About CWUAA
"Canada West is consistently the most decorated of the four conferences in Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS), winning at least 10 CIS national titles every year since 1997-98. Comprised of 14 schools, from the provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia, the CWUAA produces numerous major award winners and Academic All-Canadian student-athletes each year, with many going on to athletic success around the globe in pro leagues and events such as the Olympics, Paralympics or Universiade Games."